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CapitalPress.com
November 25, 2016
People & Places
Small crane gives big lift to job
Brent Wing’s new
portable device aids
in hoisting heavy
posts for new barn
Western
Innovator
Capital Press
Calendar
Brent Wing
Occupation: Foreman at
sheet metal company,
small-scale farmer
Hometown: Salem, Ore.
Family: Wife, Ginger, and
their five children
Age: 45
Education: Graduated from
Glencoe High School in
1988
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Brent Wing, a sheet metal company foreman and small-scale farmer, stands next to a miniature trac-
tor-mounted crane that he built. The invention saved time and money when he was installing posts for
a new barn on his property.
winch he used is powered by a
car battery, rather than the trac-
tor’s power take-off, so it can
be operated independently of
the tractor, if necessary.
Welding the crane’s compo-
nents together took about eight
hours while getting the posts
situated required another 12
hours — saving nearly two full
days of work altogether.
At a total cost of $300, the
crane was half the expense of
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Open Alpaca Barn. 10 a.m.-4
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Monday-Thursday
Nov. 28-Dec. 1
Oregon Water Resources
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Best Western Hood River Inn,
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Ore. owrc.org/calendar
Tuesday, Nov. 29
Columbia-Snake River Sys-
tem Scoping Meetings. 4-7 p.m.
The Grove Hotel, 245 S. Capitol
Blvd., Boise, Idaho. www.crso.
info/
Gaining Access to Farmland
Workshop. 5:30-8:30 p.m. WSU
Snohomish County Extension’s
Cougar Auditorium, 600 128th St.
SE, Everett, Wash. Sponsored by
Keller Williams Realty, American
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clude lease agreements, succes-
sion planning, land trusts and
unique farm shares along with
tips and lessons learned when
buying, selling or leasing land.
Cost: $15 per person, $25 per
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Hearing on proposed changes
to agricultural worker protection
standards. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Pine
Grove Grange, 2900 Van Dorn
Drive, Hood River, Ore. www.oro-
sha.org
Tuesday-Thursday
Nov. 29-Dec. 1
Idaho Farm Bureau 2016 An-
nual Meeting. Riverside Hotel,
2900 W. Chinden Blvd., Boise,
Idaho. www.idahofb.org
California Alfalfa and Forage
Symposium. 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Pep-
permill Hotel, Reno, Nev. The
symposium is organized by the
University of California Coopera-
tive Extension Alfalfa Workgroup,
extension scientists serving the
agricultural community and spon-
sored by the California Alfalfa &
Forage Association. http://calhay.
org/symposium/Tuesday-Thurs-
day
Wednesday-Thursday
Nov. 30-Dec. 1
Oregon Board of Agriculture
Meeting. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Holiday
Inn Redwood Room, 25425 SW
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By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
When building a new barn
recently, Brent Wing didn’t
relish the prospect of wres-
tling posts up to 28 feet long
into holes in the ground.
With each post weighing
more than 200 pounds, simply
getting them vertical would
be a challenge — let alone po-
sitioning them correctly.
Since situating each of
the 63 posts would require an
hour or more, Wing realized he
could save time and effort by
putting some thought into the
problem.
“It would have been 63
hours, probably, and a lot of
broken backs,” he said.
His solution was to con-
struct a miniature crane mount-
ed on a small tractor, outfitted
with a winch capable of picking
up objects weighing up to 2,000
pounds.
By attaching the winch ca-
ble to a post, it can be easily lift-
ed and maneuvered, he said. “I
can go up a quarter inch, wiggle
the post over and set it down.”
Wing has extensive experi-
ence in the construction indus-
try and now works as a foreman
at a sheet metal company, so he
used that knowledge to design
the crane, which consists of
a long piece of tube steel re-
inforced with steel straps and
gussets.
The all-terrain vehicle
Capital Press
renting a forklift for a day, and
Wing can continue using the
device for other projects he
has planned, such as building a
bridge over a creek.
“I can hook a cable to it and
pick up pretty much anything I
want,” he said.
Wing has been building
gadgets like the miniature crane
his whole life, which comes in
handy when living in a rural
area.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
www.oxarc.com
95th Ave., Wilsonville, Ore. A pub-
lic comment period is 9:45 a.m. on
day one, followed by reports on
cannabis, sage grouse, the Ford
Foundation and ODA’s Agricultur-
al Water Quality Program. In the
afternoon the board will tour Ore-
gon State University’s North Wil-
lamette Research and Extension
Center in Aurora. On day two, the
board will hear reports on ODA’s
budget, key legislative issues and
ODA’s strategic plan. www.ore-
gon.gov/ODA/AboutUs/Pages/
Conference presented by the
Young Farmers and Ranchers
Committee. oregonfb.org
Wednesday-Friday
Nov. 30-Dec.2
84th Oregon Farm Bureau An-
nual Meeting, Salem Convention
Center. Open to voting and sup-
porting Farm Bureau members.
oregonfb.org
National Women in Sustain-
able Agriculture Conference. Dou-
bletree by Hilton, 1000 NE Mult-
nomah St., Portland, Ore. The 5th
National Conference for Women
in Sustainable Agriculture will
bring together farmers, educators,
technical assistance providers
and activists engaged in healthy
food and farming to share edu-
cational and organization strate-
gies, build technical and business
skills, and address policy issues
aimed at expanding the success
of women farmers and ranchers.
http://2016wisa.org
Thursday, Dec. 1
Columbia-Snake River Sys-
tem Scoping Meetings. 4-7 p.m.
Town Hall Great Room, 1119 8th
Ave., Seattle. www.crso.info/
Hearing on proposed changes
to agricultural worker protection
standards. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wood-
burn Grange, 908 N. Settlemier
Ave., Woodburn, Ore. www.oro-
sha.org
Saturday, Dec. 3
How to Do Farm Taxes Work-
shop. 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. WSU
Snohomish County Extension’s
Cougar Auditorium, 600 128th St.
SE, Everett, Wash. Sponsored by
Moss Adams LLP and Snohomish
Conservation District. What to do
throughout the year in order to
have the data needed when tax
time rolls around. Step-by step in-
structions for completing forms as
well as one-on-one coaching ses-
sions. Cost: $15 per person, $25
per family up to three. FarmTaxes.
eventbrite.com
Sunday-Wednesday
Dec. 4-7
California Farm Bureau Annu-
al Meeting. Hyatt Regency Hotel,
Monterey, Calif. http://cfbf.com
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Columbia-Snake River Sys-
tem Scoping Meetings. 4-7 p.m.
The Columbia Gorge Discovery
Center, River Gallery Room, 5000
Discovery Drive, The Dalles, Ore.
www.crso.info/
The Nuts and Bolts of Ag
Management. Salem Conven-
tion Center, 200 Commercial St.
SE, Salem, Ore. What you didn’t
learn growing up on the farm, an
Oregon Farm Bureau Leadership
“You can’t afford to buy
every specialty tool or piece
of equipment, so you build
what you need,” he said.
A neighbor has expressed
interest in using the miniature
crane, and while Wing plans
to lend it to him, he doesn’t
intend to build and sell addi-
tional ones.
The cost of getting the
crane professionally engi-
neered and certified for the
market would probably be
prohibitively expensive, Wing
said.
He’s also busy designing a
similar implement to hoist and
install trusses for the barn’s
roof, which will likely require
a heavy-duty structure.
Once finished, the barn
will include stalls for up to
20 horses and a 7,200 square-
foot riding arena.
Wing and his wife, Ginger,
currently own four horses and
several goats that will be able
to get out of the wet weather
when the structure is complet-
ed later this year.
Wing also raises cattle on
the 20-acre property near Sa-
lem, Ore., that he plans to sell
for beef.
“Having property, you’ve
got to find a way to offset the
cost,” he said.
CORE Private Pesticide Appli-
cator Training. 8-11:40 a.m. OSU
Extension Service-Lane County,
996 Jefferson St., Eugene, Ore.
Four CORE credits anticipated.
Pre-register by Dec. 1. Cost: $30.
http://extension.oregonstae.edu/
lane/farms
Tuesday-Thursday
Dec. 6-8
Oregon Interagency Noxious
Weed Symposium, Oregon State
University, LaSells Stewart Cen-
ter, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis,
Ore. http://bit.ly/2dQBqOp
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Oregon Clover Commission
meeting, 6-8 p.m. Golden Valley
Brewery, 980 NE Fourth St., Mc-
Minnville, Ore.
Hearing on proposed changes
to agricultural worker protection
standards. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Med-
ford City Hall, Suite 340, 411 W.
Eighth St., Medford, Ore. www.
orosha.org
Monday, Dec. 12
Internal Auditor Workshop. 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Idaho Water Center,
322 E. Front St., Boise. We will
teach you how to conduct inter-
nal audits in your facility against
one of the Global Food Safety
Initiative (GFSI) Audit Schemes,
which are becoming a standard
for the food industry as a tool for
assuring food safety and regula-
tory compliance and has become
a customer requirement for many
processors. http://bit.ly/2etdxP6
20 Northwest Locations
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 4-6
Potato Expo 2017. Moscone
Center West, 800 Howard St.
San Francisco, Calif. pota-
to-expo.com
Friday-Wednesday
Jan. 6-11
2017 AFBF Annual Conven-
tion & IDEAg Trade Show. Phoe-
nix Convention Center, 100 N
Third St., Phoenix, Ariz. http://
annualconvention.fb.org
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Alfalfa
and Clover Seed School. Caldwell
Elks Lodge, Caldwell, Idaho. Con-
tact: benjamin@amgidaho.org
Thursday-Friday
Jan. 12-13
Oregon Mint Growers Annual
Meeting. Salishan Lodge & Golf
Resort, 7760 Hwy 101 North,
Gleneden Beach, Ore. oregon-
mint.org
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 17-19
38th Annual Eastern Idaho Ag
Expo. Idaho State University Holt
Arena, 921 South 8th Ave., Po-
catello, Idaho. www.spectrapro-
ductions.com
Wednesday-Thursday
Jan. 18-19
49th Annual Idaho Potato
Conference. Idaho State Universi-
ty’s Pond Student Union Building,
921 South 8th Ave., Pocatello,
Idaho. Speakers include Idaho
Potato Commission President and
CEO Frank Muir, Potatoes USA
President and CEO Blair Richard-
son and National Potato Council
Executive Vice President John
Keeling. http://bit.ly/2fayqPE
1-800-765-9055
every processing facility to have
a trained resource person or
“Preventive Controls Qualified
Individual” who has completed a
specialized training course (such
as this one) developed by the
Food Safety Preventive Controls
Alliance that is recognized by the
FDA. This person will oversee the
implementation of the facility’s
food safety plan and other key
tasks. http://bit.ly/2f6cogT
Wednesday-Saturday
Jan. 25-28
American Sheep industry
Association Convention. Denver
Marriott City Center, 1701 Califor-
nia St., Denver, Colo. www.shee-
pusa.org/About_Events_Conven-
tion
Wednesday, Feb. 1
California Prune Industry
Summit. Orchard Creek Lodge,
Lincoln,
Calif.
www.califor-
niadriedplums.org
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pesticide Short Course-IPM. 8
a.m.-4:10 p.m. Lane Community
College, Center for Meeting and
Learning, Bldg. 19, 4000 E. 30th
Ave., Eugene, Ore. $85 if regis-
tered by Jan. 23; $95 after. http://
extension.oregonstae.edu/lane/
farms
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 7-9
Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum. Spokane
Convention Center, 334 W Spo-
kane Falls Blvd., Spokane, Wash.
Spokane Ag Expo is the largest
farm machinery show in the In-
land Northwest. https://greater-
spokane.org/ag-expo/
Wednesday-Feb. 8
Oregon Clover Growers Annu-
al Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. Holiday
Inn, Wilsonville, Ore.
Oregon Fine Fescue Com-
mission meeting. 7-9 a.m. Salem
Convention Center, 200 Commer-
cial St. SE, Salem, Ore. www.ore-
gonfinefescue.org
Idaho Noxious Weed Confer-
ence. Riverside Hotel, 2900 Chin-
den Blvd., Boise, Idaho. www.
idahoweedcontrol.org
Monday-Tuesday
Dec. 12-13
Oregon Tall Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 6-8 p.m. Cascade
Grill restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE,
Albany, Ore. www.oregontallfes-
cue.org/
The 8th Annual Organic Farm-
ing Conference. Canyon Crest
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. The
event is organized by the North-
west Center for Alternatives to
Pesticides.
www.pesticide.org/
events
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 24-26
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
Oregon Seed Growers League
Annual Convention. Salem Con-
ference Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem, Ore. The agenda
includes industry speakers, edu-
cational sessions, displays, trade
show and an industry reception.
seedleague.org
Monday-Wednesday
Dec. 12-14
Far West Agribusiness As-
sociation 57th Annual meeting.
Three Rivers Convention Center,
7016 Grand Ridge Blvd., Kenne-
wick, Wash. Featured speakers
are Chuck Conner, president
and CEO of the National Coun-
cil of Farmer Cooperatives and
Chris Jahn, president of The
Fertilizer Institute. www.fwaa.
org
Thursday, Jan. 19
Northwest Agricultural Show.
Portland Expo Center, 2060 N
Marine Drive, Portland, Ore. The
hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tues-
day, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday
and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday.
www.nwagshow.com
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 25-27
FSPCA Preventive Controls
for Human Food Course. Ida-
ho Department of Labor, 600 N.
Thornton St., Post Falls, Idaho.
The new Food Safety Modern-
ization Act regulation requires
Wednesday-Thursday
Feb. 8-9
Practical Food Safety &
HACCP. The Riverside Hotel,
2900 Chinden Blvd., Boise, Ida-
ho. HACCP or Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Points, is a pre-
ventive system for the control of
health threatening food hazards
during food processing. The
comprehensive three-day work-
shop is designed for individuals
responsible for implementing and
managing a HACCP system in a
food processing facility. Partici-
pants who pass a final test will re-
ceive a certificate of completion.
http://bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
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